Annyeong Haseyo Seoul!

Our trip to Seoul, South Korea was purely by chance. I mean, Seoul was not on our list of must-visit places, and we're not even K-Drama or K-Pop fans, so how did we end up with Seoul as one of our 2013 destinations?

Ah, well..

Call it the pregnancy brain, or whatever impulse it was, when AirAsia announced one of their low fare promotions last year, I quickly consulted hubs on where to go for our next holiday destination, to which he replied Tokyo, Japan. I googled Tokyo and found that it's one of the most expensive cities in the world and wasn't sure whether we're ready to travel to one. So we decided to experiment and see if we could survive traveling to Seoul (since it was rated slightly cheaper than Tokyo) maybe then we could go visit Japan. And that was how we decided that we'd be going to Seoul in 2013.

When we booked the flight tickets, I wasn't even pregnant...

In the duration of my pregnancy we'd debated whether we'd be bringing Alexa with us to Seoul or maybe just cancelling the trip (which for a travel junkie like me is something I'd really want to avoid, although unfortunately my trip to Bali last April was canceled as I was already more than 8 months pregnant at the time), but we finally decided on bringing Alexa along since she's breastfeeding and it would be a really great opportunity for me to try and find out how it feels to travel with a baby and how Seoul would fare as a breastfeeding-friendly city. You can read all about it in my post [here].

Anyway, we absolutely adore our trip to Seoul and this was among some of the things that we managed to do:

1. Witness a guard-changing ceremony

I really wish that I was able to do this during our trip to London last year but there wasn't enough time. I'll definitely bear this in mind for our next trip to London.

We got the opportunity to watch the ceremony at Deoksugung Palace (there are plenty of palaces in Seoul but not all of them have a guard-changing ceremony) so if you want to experience one (I must say being able to watch the ceremony was quite a wow experience for me) you might want to visit this palace.

2. Visit a Hanok Village

A hanok village is typically a traditional Korean Village in which you get to see how the people of Korea used to live (I suppose before all those high-rise buildings were built and all) and we managed to visit Namsangol Hanok Village in Chungmuro which was only a walking distance from our hotel. I must say the it was an interesting experience getting to learn on the traditional Korean culture and of course getting to see some of the people walking in full costume (which is not easy I guess considering the humid weather; we were in Seoul during the end of summer so some days it was pretty hot and other days it can be quite cool and windy).

3. Padlocked our love at Seoul Tower

The thought of visiting Seoul Tower never occurred to us. And we never even knew about the custom for lovebirds to buy a padlock and locking them at one of the poles at the base of Seoul Tower. For couple travellers, this place is definitely a must-visit.

A photo of Seoul city taken from Namsan Cable Car on the way up to Seoul Tower.

4. Visit Nami Island

Although I did say that we're not K-Drama nor K-Pop fans, we do know that there's a famous K-Drama called Winter Sonata, filmed at Nami Island (which is by the way a man-made island not far from Seoul) so we decided to visit the island and am glad that we did. This island definitely one very unique island, it definitely has a very quirky and cheerful ambience.

Psst: this island is accessible via subway (which will only bring you to as far as Gapyeong station) then via taxi or bus to Gapyeong wharf. From there, you'll need to buy a ferry ticket that'll take you to the island. Or alternatively you may want to read on travel instructions to Nami island [here].

5. Visit Seoul Mosque at Itaewon

Getting to visit this mosque is not easy, simply because we took the subway and had to walk our way uphill (I'd say it's roughly a 20-minute walk) to the mosque. Peeps, for convenience, I'd recommend the cab.

However, this mosque certainly is huge and what's even more interesting, there's a private Islamic school near the mosque grounds.

6. Shopped till we dropped at Myeongdong

Before we touch on the subject of shopping, I must admit that most of the imported stuff in Seoul, specifically at Lotte Departmental Store are actually slightly more expensive or equal to the price of imported stuff in Malaysia. However, their sale items are sold at very generous discounts, which are to die for.

Bought a pair of Dr Martens for Alexa (which she'll only be able to wear when she's 1 year old unfortunately). Sadly this wasn't on sale, we bought it for about KRW60,000 (converted roughly to about MYR180). I can't wait for Alexa to wear this on our next trip, which will be to Tokyo somewhere during Spring 2014. She'll be almost one then =).

All these Dr Martens were on 50% - 70% sale. I actually had my eye on a few of them. Oppsie!

And this is what hubs got me as an early anniversary gift =). This one was sold at KRW200,000 but was marked down at 50%, so we only paid about MYR300 for this one *yippee yeay*.

For those who love to shop, don't forget to complete your tax refund paperwork before you leave the store. This one is located at Ground Floor, Lotte Departmental Store, Myeongdong. Should you be in doubt, just ask the customer service counter on where are the tax refund counters for tourists. Tax refunds can be claimed for cash at International Departure, Incheon International Airport. 

Us at Lotte World. When we arrived, it was already night time so we decided to forgo visiting the theme park and just chill and do some people watching =).

So that was among the things that we did in Seoul. Unfortunately there were some other stuff that we wanted to do like enjoy the themepark at Lotte World and Everland but we did not want to squeeze in too many activities in a day considering that we are traveling with a 3-month old baby who gets cranky if she stays up too late. It's good enough that we're able to enjoy the trip as it was *syukur alhamdulillah*.

Here's hubs with Alexa in an Ergo PPB. 

Seoul's public transportation system (specifically the subway) is not very stroller friendly so we opted for the Ergo carrier from Day 2 till our final day in Seoul (on Day 1 we had to carry the stroller up and down the stairs of Seoul's many subway stations). For parents traveling with small children, I do recommend the baby carrier as it's much more convenient compared to a stroller.

Psst! If you love handbags, we recommend buying them at International Departure, Incheon International Airport. I was eyeing the Furla Candy Satchel at Lotte Departmental Store but decided against buying it because the price is similar to buying it in Malaysia (to tell you the truth, the price is slightly higher than Malaysia). At Lotte Departmental Store the bag costs roughly about KRW600,000. However my jaw dropped when I found out that the same bag is about 30% cheaper when bought duty free at the airport. And the best part is, it's from their Autumn/ Winter 2013 collection *drool*. Thank you hubs for the early birthday present *grin*.

So the question is, will we be back to Seoul? Most probably, no, because there are plenty of other countries that we have yet to visit. But will we visit other places in Korea? Definitely!

To love, family and travel.


xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Baby Gear

Almost everyone that I meet or talk to says that baby gears are expensive. And I'm inclined to agree with that. But then again, that might not be true in some manner. This is because, how expensive or cheap those items are depends on what you're buying. So if you're buying an expensive brand, it's only logical that you expect the price tag to go with it. And vice versa. So this was our plan in buying baby items (you might agree or disagree with our methods and that's entirely fine with us) and what we did to minimize cost.

Among the first items that we bought for the baby was a stroller. And why you might ask? Well, we know that we'll be bringing the baby for a trip by the end of August, thus a stroller is one of our priorities in ensuring that we'll have our hands free from carrying the baby and also making sure that the baby will be able to get his or her beauty sleep wherever we are. Thus a stroller (complete with a washable stroller pad for stains etc.) was one of the things we knew that we need to have. So our requirements for a stroller is that it must be light enough that it can be checked in when travelling but also sturdy enough to hold the weight of the baby.

We bought the Esprit Sun Plus 11 in black at Parkson, tHe Spring during Christmas Sale last year. We decided on this one because it's an umbrella stroller (it can be folded easily and packed at the back of the car or checked in at the airport) and the weight is roughly about 7 kg, so it's not too heavy to be carried around. For this one we saved RM180 (from the 20% discount that was being offered we saved RM100 and also RM80 from using Parkson Vouchers).

The second item that we bought was the Graco Pack n Play. We didn't get Esprit this time (we found the Esprit playpen to be slightly flimsy) because we wanted a playpen that could be used by the baby to sleep in the first few months (or if possible the first year) before upgrading the baby to a toddler bed. And another reason for having a playpen is because it's small enough to be included in our room (for us to keep an eye on the baby) and it's versatile enough to be packed and carried to wherever we want it to. We bought this at Poppies, tHe Spring during the recent Chinese New Year sale and saved RM100.

Knowing how reckless and dangerous drivers in Kuching can be (I've experienced and seen too many accidents on the road) made us decide that the baby would be safer in a car seat rather than on our laps. We decided on an Aldo convertible car seat that is able to accommodate newborns as well as toddlers thus we chose this one as it can recline (for newborns) and can be used up until the child is 4 years old. Got this on a sale from an online shop called Little Whiz and decided to visit the shop when we were in KL and save on shipping costs, so total savings for car seat RM105 (RM60 discount for the car seat itself and RM45 for shipping costs).

One thing that we did wrong in buying baby stuffs is assuming that baby cribs are manufactured with the same dimensions (I assure you, there are plenty of sizes to choose from) and also assuming that any mattress is able to fit your crib or playpen. It was quite difficult for me to find a mattress for our playpen (I had to survey 4 or 5 stores to finally be able to find one that fits) and by the time I found and bought one (from Anakku), apparently the one I bought was too thick for an infant *duh*. So I had to go out and buy another. Bought this Bumble bee latex mattress at Mummycare, One Jaya. No savings for this one (it was the last piece and considering that it would be more expensive if I bought it online; most online shops charge at least RM70 for shipping costs, I decided on buying it there and then). However, the best part about this mattress is that it has a 5 year warranty so I am definitely glad that I made the purchase.

Initially, I wasn't too concerned with the baby's pillow or mattress. I thought that the baby, being a baby, would be sleeping anywhere and everywhere he or she wants to. However, my opinion changed when I went to visit my friend Farhah who told me that her baby likes the latex pillow better than the normal cutesy baby pillow (that I also had planned to buy for my baby). That's when I decided on getting a latex pillow and mattress for the baby. Might as well go with something that the baby would like (hopefully) rather than having to buy another set of pillow and mattresses. This BabyLove latex pillow was the only latex infant pillow available at the store and I bought this at Sweet Babies (nearby KPJ, Stutong; it's an excellent store that sells baby products by the way) and saved about RM6 (the owner did say they were on sale) for the pillow.

The weird thing about me in buying baby gear is that I was really obsessive about the baby's diaper bag. I felt that the diaper bag would be a very important accessory to the baby (because it goes wherever the baby goes) and it's really important for me to make sure that I got the right bag (or else I'll just be looking for another one then another one then another one until I'm satisfied) and besides, if you really know me, you'd know that I'm the kind of person who likes bags and backpacks and luggage (I definitely have a bag fetish). For me, there are two conditions that must be met in getting a diaper bag: (1) it must not be too feminine for hubs to carry and (2) it must come with a changing mat (so that we could change the baby's diaper with comfort wherever we are). I finally found this Fisher Price diaper bag from Lelong.com.my which fits both my requirements and it also has a baby wipes window at the side of the bag (definitely an added bonus). I don't know the price of this bag at other stores so I assume no savings were made here.

I also bought a Fisher Price diaper caddy online from this Facebook store called BabyCute Collections. I bought it for its practicality (we live in a two-storey house and during confinement, a confinement lady will be helping out to tend to me and the baby; the baby will most probably be bathed downstairs rather than in our own bathroom), having a diaper caddy will help me bring only what the baby needs for its bath time and also for vanity reasons (this bag is super cute and cheerful). No savings earned for this one either as I don't know how much it'd cost if bought offline.

I bought both the Philips Avent Natural range breast pump and bottles at an online store called Little Kids during one of its sale promotions (the store seems to be having a promotion every month so don't worry if you've missed one). I initially wasn't sure on what to get but finally settled on Avent based on the feedback and reviews that were available online (that's not entirely true, I actually loved their Natural range advert and was convinced by the video review by moms in the UK). I have decided to settle on a manual pump as a way to assess how committed I am to breastfeeding once the baby is here and if I think that I'd be better off with an electric pump, then I'll make the upgrade when the time comes. Since there was a sale I'd saved RM120 on this one.

Bought the Philips Avent Natural range Newborn Starter Set during the same sale and also saved about RM120 on this one. However, I was informed by the doctor to exclusively breastfeed for the first two months or so (and not rely on the bottle if possible) so this is among the things that I'd wished I had asked the doctor first before buying. Since I have made the purchase, I guess I have to keep the bottles and use it when the time comes.

This is among one of the last gear that I bought, there was a special promotion for this Philips Avent 3-in-1 sterilizer at Metrojaya a few weeks ago and decided to go ahead and get the sterilizer (even though I'm not sure when I'll start using the bottles) and saved about RM70 for this one.

So, total savings on baby gear *drumroll please* RM701. And this is not inclusive of baby clothes (we haven't bought much because we're not sure how big the baby would be when he or she comes out), diapers, toiletries etc. We're hoping to start the baby on cloths diaper (optimistically hoping to save costs and help the environment in the long run) by the second month but we'll see how that goes (hopefully I'll be able to manage my time well enough so that I can accomplish cloth-diapering the baby).

If you're wondering about other gears like the baby bath tub, bath mat and waterproof mat for the mattress, disposable diapers, toiletries and all those baby stuff, we decided to get them from Teck Kong (arguably the cheapest departmental store in Kuching). The same brand being sold in Parkson is also available at Teck Kong at a cheaper price, so why not go to a store closer to home. For those who do not know where is Teck Kong, there are two stores in Kuching; one in Tabuan Jaya and another in Batu Kawa.

So far so good eh?

I only have a few more baby gears to go (one is the Philips Avent bottle warmer) which I haven't bought yet as my breastfeeding skills is something I'd like to establish first and maybe the milk storage cups (if I have milk to store that is).

So do you think I'm too ambitious? I have a feeling that you may be right so I'll promise to try my best and take it one day at a time. Baby steps to motherhood, right?

Leave me your comments, Mommies =).


xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Travels: Newlyweds in London

We went to London last April. I think you know that already from my previous post. The trip lasted for 10 days (including two long 8-hour flights, KL-Heathrow-KL) covering London, Paris, Manchester, Glasgow and Scotland. Sounds hectic, right? Well, indeed it was. And here are the photos depicting our short trip in London (we only had somewhat about 3 days and a half in London):

Arrived at Terminal 4 in London. The airport is currently undergoing renovation, so there was nothing much to see.

Newlyweds in London. Can't really say that we're newlyweds though, it's been about 5-months since the wedding. But then again, it's the love that counts, right?

First stop, Barkston Gardens. We arrived in London at 4 pm and stayed at Barkston Gardens that night. Bear in mind that the time difference is about 8-hours, so 4 pm in London is similar to midnight in Malaysia. It's normal to feel jet-lagged, lucky for us we managed to steal some snooze time before dinner. FYI, this place is about a minute's walk to Earl's Court Station, so it's a very, very convenient place to stay. Not only that, there's plenty of halal outlets right along the street by the entrance of the Station.

First outing, Malaysia Hall, London. For Malaysian food lovers, there's a canteen downstairs selling Malaysian food. Take note that the food doesn't come cheap and please don't convert the pounds (GBP) to ringgit (MYR), just enjoy the food. Oh, just in case you were wondering, my Nasi Ayam costs about GBP5 which is equal to MYR25. I must say it's the priciest Nasi Ayam I've ever tasted.

Next stop, Hard Rock Cafe, London. My must visit store. I think I have more than 10 (or maybe even 20) Hard Rock shirts now, so I guess it's kinda a hobby to me, collecting Hard Rock shirts as a memento of my trips =).

The Big Ben. We didn't get a closer look at Big Ben or Westminster Abbey (we only had 3 and a half days, remember) so we skipped both so that we'd have time for a cruise along the River Thames and a ride on the London Eye .

Oh, hello Mr. Becks =). Met him while we were queuing to get tickets for the London Eye. He's there to entice people to drop by Madame Tussaud's but unfortunately we didn't have time for that either.

Queuing for our turn to cruise the River Thames. My dad has this thing for river cruises. We went for a cruise along Pasig river in Manila, Philippines and we almost went for another river cruise along the Seine River in Paris (luckily we didn't, there wasn't enough time. We opted for the Hop-on, Hop-off bus instead).

Us on the cruise ship. You can opt to sit below deck or above deck for the cruise. To better enjoy the view, it's better to be above deck. There's also a guide above deck with you and he'll be sharing stories on the sights along the River Thames (not all of them are true, though. Luckily I know my history well to discover that some of the things that he says is mainly for the entertainment of tourists and not necessarily actual facts).

Hubs, posing on the ship at the River Thames. Behind him is the famous Big Ben.

London Eye.

Parliament house and Big Ben, among London's famous landmarks.

Millenium bridge. Was featured in the Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where the bridge collapse after an attack by the Death Eaters.

Tower Bridge of London. If you're wondering where is the London Bridge (from the song London bridge is falling down), it's actually is in Arizona, the bridge was sold to make way for a better bridge. For the full story, click [here].

London Eye capsules.

The view from our capsule.

They say three's a company but I beg to differ. It's me, hubs and Big Ben =).

London Central Mosque. This mosque is about a stone's throw from Regent's Park. Unfortunately there's no nearby tube station for me to recommend to you so I don't know the best way to get to this mosque except via driving.

Emirates Stadium. This is the stadium for the Arsenal team (if I'm not mistaken). Unfortunately we didn't go for a trip inside the stadium (hubs is not a fan so no trip was planned to this stadium to avoid offending his loyalty to Manchester United).

Sunday Market at Walthamstow. Unfortunately not that many stalls were open for business that day.

The East London Mosque (not far from Petticoat Lane).

Petticoat Lane.

Shopping for souvenirs at Petticoat lane. Love those expressive tea towels (am used to the RM1 Good Morning towels in Kuching) so this was a nice change.

Marble Arch. This place is not far from Edgware Road (where there's plenty of Muslim food outlets especially Middle Eastern food) and Oxford Street (hint: shopping). Unfortunately I can't remember our reason for being here *sheepish grin*. Marble Arch is accessible via the tube station, Marble Arch.

Us in the tube. Having the tube map is certainly a handy guide as it helps us to move around easily (not to mention helping us from getting lost).

Oxford Street. As you can see there's plenty of people miling around (meaning there's plenty of shopping going on). Oxford street is definitely the shopping haven in London. But, shopping need not be limited to Oxford, there's plenty of other shopping havens (should you be keen to explore).

The Science Museum.I was recommended a trip to the museum by my good pal, Esthna so we went to the museum on our last day. The place is huge (as all museums are) and I'm sad that we didn't really get to enjoy all that the museum had to offer. Admission is free and in case you feel like dropping by, the museum is accessible via the tube. The train station is South Kensington. And if you really have time, there's two other museums nearby, Victoria and Albert Museum and Natural History Museum.

Here are some of the stuffs that we found at the Science Museum:

An old cariage. Fancy riding in that for an afternoon about town. Heh.

And actual plane. There's actually many other interesting finds at the museum but I'll leave them to your imagination. Or better yet, if you have the opportunity to visit London, do drop by the Science Museum.

Two hours later, we found ourself at one of the landmark stores in the world of shopping: Harrods.

Got me my first Longchamp. Yeay! Me is happy =). Harrods is like the best shopping mall ever! It's the first time I've seen shoppers (including yours truly) been serenaded to in a shopping complex. I would certainly love to drop by to Harrods in my future shopping expeditions.

Just in case you're wondering, this is what I got, the Longchamp Maroquinerie (LM) Metal White. Got this at a 10% discount as there was a weekend member's benefit going on (signed up as a member, the membership is free, I think, and got my discount immediately). Bought it at roughly GBP80, post discount and even got a GBP6 GST refund later at the airport. Shopping has never been this good *grin*. Psstt.. The bag is currently being sold at RM850 at Longchamp Pavilion...

I initially wanted Longchamp by Mary Katrantzou but I was told they were out of stock. Apparently we went to the wrong section (travel section) which was on the 3rd floor and there were stocks of Longchamp by Mary Katrantzou on the lower ground level. As the Malay would say 'bukan rezeki' meaning 'not my luck'. Maybe another time perhaps *wink*wink*. 

Took the tube from Knightsbridge straight to Heathrow. Since Heathrow is pretty far from town, the journey took us almost an hour.

GST refund. If you're planning to shop in London (or anywhere in Europe) make sure you request for GST refund form from the store and you can claim your tax refund from the last point of departure in Europe. In our case, we bought our Louie's in Paris and claimed the refund in London (because last point of departure is from Heathrow airport). If you're doing your refunds from Terminal 4 (like us) there are two refund points, the easiest one to find is inside the departure hall, you won't miss it. Refunds can be made in cash (there'll be a small deduction to your refund for cash refunds) and via credit card (i.e. the amount will be deducted from your credit card account balance one week later).

If you fancy some last minute shopping (or if you have some spare change) I do recommend the duty free shops inside the departure halls, perfumes can be as cheap as GBP20 (roughly around RM100) and I did manage to get this bag for myself at the Harrods outlet:

Marc by Marc Jacobs Eazy Monogrammed Black Bowling Bag for only GBP132 (the price is already deducted by GST so I definitely got it cheaper than Harrods Knightsbridge). Hurrah!! And the best part is, the bag is currently being sold at RM1090 in Marc Jacobs, Pavilion. Life is good =).

xoxo Mrs Fashionista xoxo